Dunbar man jailed after paying child in Ukraine to perform sex acts over video

Liam Nolan made contact with the 14-year-old boy on the Telegram app and sent him numerous payments in exchange for the lad stripping and performing solo sex acts.

Nolan, 35, sent messages stating he wanted “to spank” the boy and described the vile sexual acts he wanted to perform on the victim. He was also caught in possession of child abuse images when police raided his home in Dunbar, East Lothian, in December 2023.

The case comes just four years after Nolan escaped custody for contacting 20 children online and offering one 12-year-old girl cash in return for sending him naked pictures.

He was also convicted for describing his fantasies about “burning and mutilating” a child and was in contact with a father in the Philippines and suggested drugging and raping the man’s daughter.

Liam Nolan outside Edinburgh Sheriff Court | Alexander Lawrie

On that occasion he was sentenced to supervision, 300 hours of unpaid work and placed on the sex offenders register for five years.

Nolan has now been jailed after he was remanded in custody following guilty pleas to intentionally sending sexual communication and to possessing indecent images of children at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday.

Prosecutor Claire Green told the court police raided Nolan’s flat in December 2023 after receiving intelligence that indecent images of children were being accessed. Officers discovered two mobile phones during the search containing depraved images of young boys enraging in sexual activity along with first generation footage of the child victim in Ukraine.

The court was told Nolan had been initially speaking online to the child’s adult sister but then began exchanging messages with the 14-year-old boy.

Ms Green said police cyber crime officers discovered chat logs on the Telegram app between Nolan and the child that took place on occasions over a two week period in October 2023.

Evidence was found of Nolan sending cash payments to the family in Ukraine through PayPal in return for images and videos of the boy undressing and performing sex acts. The contents of the chat logs between Nolan and the victim are deemed too explicit to publish.

Following his arrest Nolan claimed he had been sending the boy money in exchange for him carrying out sexual acts because he wanted to “help the family out”.

The two mobile phones found at Nolan’s home contained pictures and videos of boys aged between 12 and 14 engaging in sexual activity.

Solicitor Peter O’Neill, defending, acknowledged the crimes were “pretty grim” and said his client was currently in therapy and had been engaging with the rehabilitation organisation Stop It Now.

Mr O’Neill said: “He is well aware prison is an option today but I am instructed to ask for bail. Mr Nolan was quite frank in his interview with police about this and was quite open he has clear problems.”

Sheriff Fiona Sharp said: “Given the nature of the offences I am required to call for a criminal justice social work report and a restriction of liberty order assessment prior to sentencing you. You will be remanded in custody meantime and you will be subject to the sexual offences notification requirements.”

Sentence was deferred to next month. Nolan pleaded guilty to intentionally sending sexual communication to a 14-year-old boy for the purposes of obtaining sexual gratification between October 15 and 29, 2023.

He also admitted to possessing indecent images of children at his home between October 15 and November 24, 2023.